The World's Longest Stocking

A Guinness-worthy Befana in the heart of Tuscany

There is a village in Tuscany where the Befana doesn't arrive secretly in the night, but instead parades over three hundred meters long for all to see. We are in Santa Maria a Monte, a small town in the Province of Pisa perched on the hills that separate the Valdarno from the leather district. Here, every January 6th, The World's Longest Stocking takes center stage: a giant Befana stocking, sewn from recycled fabrics and filled with thousands of colorful balloons, that literally wraps around the historic center, alley by alley.

A tradition born in 2008

The idea is both simple and brilliant, born in 2008: to create something unique and spectacular to celebrate Epiphany, a very long stocking laid out along the entire ancient street of the village. Year after year, the stocking has grown, exceeding 300 meters in length: a multicolored ribbon starting from Via Carducci and reaching Piazza Marconi, passing through Via Collegiata and Via Roma. Over the years, it has become the symbol of the community, the result of the patient work of local associations, the Pro Loco, and the many volunteers who sew, inflate, and set it up.

How the festival unfolds

The event takes place over two days. Everything begins on the eve, when the atrium of the Town Hall fills with volunteers for the collective inflation of the balloons that will fill the stocking: a moment of shared celebration, accompanied by a snack offered to all present. On Epiphany day, however, the town squares come alive from the early afternoon with markets, street food, and shows, while a photographic exhibition in Via Carducci retraces past editions.

The most anticipated moment arrives at dusk: the collective popping of the balloons spilling out of the giant stocking, in a shower of colors and applause that closes the festival and the entire Christmas season for the village.

An event for the whole family

• Free admission to all activities
• Stocking over 300 meters long through the historic center
• Markets featuring local products and street food
• Entertainment, music, and shows for adults and children
• Photographic exhibition dedicated to historical editions

Organized by the Pro Loco Santa Maria a Monte with the patronage of the Municipality and the collaboration of local associations and citizens, The World's Longest Stocking is one of the most beloved Epiphany events in the entire Province of Pisa: a perfect opportunity to discover an authentic village on the day when, according to tradition, all holidays come to an end.